Mythology, Facts and
Information about Hades
The content of this article provides
interesting history, facts and
information about Hades. The whole
imaginary Underworld of classical
mythology, was referred to as Hades
which we call Hell, was the place
where the souls of all departed
persons, of the good as well as the
bad, went after their death.

Definition of HadesThe definition of Hades:
The Underworld according to classical mythology, the abode
of the ghosts, shades or souls ruled over by the Greek Hades
or the Roman god Pluto.

Facts and Mythology about
the River in HadesThe River Styx was the
principal river of the underworld, which had to be crossed
to pass to the regions of the dead. The River Styx was a
river which formed the boundary between Earth and the
Underworld (Hades). The souls of the dead first had to pay the
ferryman Charon to take them across the the
River Styx to Hades which was the
underworld or the realm of the dead according to Greek and
Roman mythology. The souls or ghosts of the
dead were escorted by
Mercury
the Roman Messenger of the gods, to the boatman, or
ferryman, Charon who would only ferry the souls who could
pay him the fare across the River Styx so a coin was always
placed in in or on the mouths of the dead. The penalty for
not being able to pay the ferryman to take them across the
River Styx was to spend one hundred years wandering around
the shores of Hades.

Facts and Mythology about
Cerberus and HadesThe far side of the river was guarded by
Cerberus, the three headed savage dog, or hellhound, with a
snake for a tail and snakes down his back like a mane.
Passing beyond Cerberus, the ghosts or souls of the departed
entered the land of the dead to be judged. Cerberus guarded
the gate to Hades and ensured that spirits of the dead could
enter, but none could exit. Mythology tells that the
final of the 12 Labors of
Herculeswas to capture
Cerberus, which due to his legendary strength, he did by
wrestling it into submission.

Facts and Myths of HadesThere are many facts and
myths about Hades the Underworld. These legends include
descriptions of the different regions of Hades. The
underworld of Hades was divided into five areas. The
different regions of Hades were called the Fields of
Asphodel, the region of waters called the River Styx,
a gloomy region called Erebus, Tartarus, or the
region of torments and finally the district of joy and bliss
which was called Elysium. The myths and legends relating to
the different regions of Hades are as follows:

The first was called the
previous region or the Fields of Asphodel

Two sorts of beings
inhabited the Fields of Asphodel - those which make the real misery
of mankind upon earth, such as war, discord, labor, grief, cares,
distempers, and old age and those with imaginary terrors, and all
the most frightful monsters of our own imagination taken from
mythology such as Gorgons and Harpies

The second was the region
of waters called the River Styx.

All the departed souls had
to pass the waters to enter into the other world. The River was
called Styx, or the hateful passage

The third was the gloomy
region called Erebus

Erebus began immediately
with the bank on the other side the River Styx and was supposed to
extend a great way in. Erebus was subdivided again into several
particular districts or regions:

The first region was the
place for infants

The next region was for all
who had been put to death without a cause

Then the place for those
who put an end to their own lives. This was a melancholy region,
situated amidst the marshes made by the overflowings of the Styx, or
hateful river

After this were the fields
of mourning, full of dark woods and groves, and inhabited by those
who died of love

Last of all was an open
country, allotted for the souls of departed warriors

The road from Erebus then
divided into two, of which the right hand road led to Elysium, or
the place of the blessed and the left hand road to Tartarus, or the
place of the tormented.

The fourth region was
therefore Tartarus, or the region of torments and punishment after
death

The fifth district was the
region of joy and bliss which was called Elysium